Oct. 9 is the bicentenary of the birth of pioneering journalist Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the subject of a memorial statue on the grounds of Windsor Hall. Community celebrations continue through the week.

Founder of the abolitionist journal the Provincial Freeman, she was the first Black woman publisher in North America, an activist, educator, and jurist.

ArtSpeak Gallery will host a multimedia installation honouring Cary’s life and legacy, highlighting her efforts in Windsor, from Oct. 9 to 14 at 1942 Wyandotte St. East. An after-hours “Liberatory Tea Party” promises a poetry reading and discussion at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11.

The Essex County Black Historical Research Society and the BookFest Windsor literary festival are teaming up to present “Breaking the Ice” 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, in the Performance Hall at the School of Creative Arts Armouries building. It will feature Leslie McCurdy performing the Mary Ann Shadd Cary monologue from her play Things My Fore-Sisters Saw, and author Jane Rhodes presenting the new edition of her book Mary Ann Shadd Cary: The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signings in the concourse before and after the event. Tickets are available at bookfestwindsor.com.